CSA Membership 2014...the time is NOW!

Become a member of the Black Kettle Farm CSA 

and secure your share of the harvest in 2014!

19 weeks of fresh, diverse, certified organic produce from mid-June through October.

Members contribute $500 and receive $550.00 in produce over the entire season.

Pick Up options:

On the farm in Lyman

Tuesday 4:30-6:30 

Delivery

Riverbend Wellness Center in Arundel

Tuesday 4:30-7:00

Delivery

Fort Allen Park on the Eastern Prom, Portland

Wednesday 4:00-6:30 

Questions?

Contact blackkettlefarm@gmail.com for further info.

Ready to get on board?

Go to the Join the CSA! page and sign up!

Take advantage of the Early Bird Special!

Pay in full by the end of 2013 and receive a $20.00 discount!

Can't wait to feed you!  

June is just 'round the corner.......chard, carrots, peppers, beans!  Here we come!

CSA Week #19

Week 19

Oct.15&16

1 bunch carrots

1 bunch purple top turnips

1 bunch kale

1 lb. onions

2 lbs. sweet potatoes

hot pepper

1 bunch parsley

1 bunch dried sage

Turn your oven on to 350 degrees, grab your slippers and your softest sweater, find some relaxing tunes and tasty tea and start chopping!  This week’s share is all about keeping the home fires burning and going with the warming, soothing effects of roasting and toasting your veggies to sink into that deep nostalgia that is fall time in Maine.  Every thing can just go right into a pan and right into your oven, no questions asked.  Warm up your house and feed your soul with the last blast of this season’s bumper veggie haul.  As the leaves reach their peak and as the days shorten and the temps lower, the flavors sink in and get sweeter and sweeter all the time.  It is true!  Close your eyes and slowly chew a carrot with no distractions, and you will know exactly what I am referring to.

And while you have your eyes closed and are chewing on that tasty carrot, take a moment to look back on these 19 weeks of fresh vegetables and herbs from ol’ Black Kettle Farm.  Remember the early days of bok choi and that veritable satchel of garlic scapes you received one week in July?  How about the repeated mother loads of sungold cherry tomatoes, the bursts of green beans, the piles of sweet peppers and the ever present heads of lettuce and salad fixings?  We’ve rolled through the season, going from cucumbers to eggplant to broccoli to sweet potatoes.  We’ve been able to sink deep into our roots with radishes, turnips, beets and carrots, carrots, carrots!!!  We’ve eaten glorious, healthy and delicious greens every single week and we’ve had onions on top of garlic on top of a crazy, unprecedented 10 week run of tomatoes.  

Remember all the veggie concoctions you’ve made, from the amazing recipes that you’ve researched and tried,down to the random, but oh so delicious whacky goo-lash, throw every thing in a pan with olive oil and salt and pepper and scramble to perfection. Remember all the unreal colors of the produce that you would get on any given week and the unique flavors that come out in the freshness of it all.  Remember all the sweet interactions you’ve had at a pick-up, like bumping into an old friend and realizing that you are both a part of the same farm, and the hilarious conversations, recipe exchanges and sound bite moments shared among folks that have never met before.  For local members, those times on crazy hot summer days when the barn felt so cool, calm and welcoming, the air at the farm so nice.  And for Portland members, perching up over the Bay, feeling the breeze and watching the sail boats pass us on by.

Dearest of friends, this has really been a fantastic season.  Team Black Kettle, with it’s insanely hard working crew, it’s biggest and most enthusiastic CSA membership yet, and it’s ever giving soil, has been able to overcome obstacles of bugs, weeds, too much rain and the general weirdness of trying to grow veggies to achieve bounty, beauty and super positive connections.  Thank you all so much for making this such a glorious season, it has been nothing but a pleasure to grow food for you!  Much love and so many blessings of health, vitality and ever-present abundance!  Stay in touch and see you in 2014!  Big hug!

Turnip Parsley Cakes - www.greenlitebites.com

1 bunch of turnips, grated
2 large egg whites
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
Kosher salt
1/2 cup fresh parsley

Whisk the egg whites, whole wheat flour and 2 liberal pinches of salt to make the batter. Chop up a handful of parsley, and add it and the grated turnips to the batter. Mix well to coat everything.

Heat a skillet over medium heat and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Form a cake and add it straight to the skillet. Cook for about 4 minutes on each side until  it is brown and stays together.

Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Sage Butter

Gourmet  | November 2003

1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

2 teaspoons chopped sage

Cover sweet potatoes with water in a 2-quart heavy saucepan and add salt. Cook, covered, over moderately high heat until tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Reserve 1/4 cup cooking liquid, then drain sweet potatoes in a colander. Transfer sweet potatoes and reserved cooking liquid to a bowl and mash with a potato masher.

Mash together butter, sage, and salt and pepper to taste, then stir half of sage butter into sweet potatoes. Serve potatoes topped with remaining sage butter.

Island Kale & Sweet Potato Soup -

Recipe shared by CSA Member Kim Schutsky

- oil

- chopped onion

- minced garlic

- sliced jalapeno pepper

- bunch of kale, de-ribbed and sliced thin 

- 1.5 pounds sweet potato, cut into hefty chunks (like 3/4" cubes)

- 1.5 quarts veggie broth

- 1 cup coconut milk

- a grain of your choice ... rice, quinoa, etc

First put on your grain of choice and cook it up the way you always do.

Coat the bottom of a large stock pot with oil.  Cook up the onions over a nice low heat.  Once tender, add the garlic and jalapeno.  Add the sweet potato chunks and veggie broth - turn up the heat until the pot is boiling, then lower and simmer until the sweet potatoes are tender (about 15 minutes)  About half-way through that cooking time, add the kale so that it can wilt up nicely.  Right at the end add the coconut milk.

Serve this incredible soup with a big mound of grain in the middle of your soup bowl, and then the soup ladled around the grain.  Enjoy!

CSA Week #18

Week 18

Oct.8 and 9

2 stalks brussels sprouts

broccoli 

1 bunch greens

arugula

baby lettuce mix

garlic

CSA is a major leap of faith for all involved.  Maybe you heard about Black Kettle Farm from a friend, or did a quick internet search and chose to be a member because the pick-up time and location worked for your busy schedule, maybe saw a flyer on a a bulletin board, maybe you met me for a quick second at a CSA fair in the dead of winter, or maybe you just joined on a complete and total whim.  

Regardless, you joined, and to do so you gave me money.  I promised to grow you vegetables and our relationship of farmer and consumer was formed.  That was all well and good, way back before the abundant sun was shining and the veggies were flowing out of the earth.  Before you had even eaten any BKF kale, stuffed pints of cherry tomatoes in to your mouth, tried (and LOVED) kohlrabi for the first time, chowed a whole bunch of carrots on the car ride home from pick-up or realized that green beans are actually insanely delicious and not frumpy at all.  Before you ate anything, you trusted me and employed me to grow your veggies, and therefore I was in debt to you.  As a farmer, it is super scary, as well as super exciting to create this relationship, and because of this, I make fulfilling my obligation to you of the highest of priorities of the farm.

With that pretty much always on my mind, I am thrilled to say that at this point in the season, BKF has exceeded the $500 value of the CSA share that you paid for.  I track the weekly value of the shares with the same prices that I use at farmer’s market to insure that you get what you pay for and always shoot to supply members with 10% more in produce when all is said and done.  This additional $50.00 in veggies is a nod to you folks who trusted me, joined the BKF team and got on board for whatever twists and turns that the always whacky and unpredictable, Maine-tastic, fast and furious growing season serves up.  So that’t where we are, these last two shares are freebies, yummy gifts from the farm!

Let’s bring it on home and give credit where credit is due, CSA members are the best!  You provide the farm with income in the off-season and a consistent and stead fast market for the veggies that it grows.  Beyond that, you provide the farm with the ever necessary “C” in CSA - COMMUNITY!  We know and love you all and yes, we talk about you at farm lunch.  We grow certain things and plan diverse weekly shares with you in mind.  We take pride in our veggies at BKF because our relationship with you, our members, who trusted us and believed in us to grow their food, really, really matters.  Even though it’s kind of hip these days, farming can be really isolating, frustrating and mentally, physically and spiritually taxing.  Just because you see me smiling at pick-up, certainly doesn’t mean that I wasn’t feeling down in the dumps a few hours earlier, loathing bugs, or rain, wishing that I was more organized or just some kind of semi-normal, non-farming person in general.  But, hey, I gotta say, the interactions over weekly CSA shares, the exchanges and blending of members’ personalities at pick-up and the beautiful joy that you all express to me in regards to the produce always proves to turn the beet around and the business aspect and exchange of money aside, it makes me love and value the relationship of CSA  beyond compare.  

I am so happy to share the abundance of the farm and this beautiful, although not easy, graceful or super smooth, growing season.  And good for you!  You have eaten, chopped and shared over $500 worth of fresh, health enhancing, glow inducing, spring in the step provoking, super gorgeous veggies!  Who’s hip now? Yahoo!  

Brussels Sprouts & Kale Salad With Toasted Almonds & Parmesan

Serves 6-8

* 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

* 2 Tbsp Dijon mustard

* 1 Tbsp minced shallot

* 1 small clove garlic, finely grated

* Sea salt and pepper

* 1/2 cup olive oil

* 1 bunch kale, center stem discarded, leaves sliced thinly

* 12 oz. Brussels sprouts, trimmed and shredded

* 1/3 cup almonds with skins, toasted and coarsely chopped

* 1/ cup grated Pecorino, Parmesan or Romano cheese

1. Combine lemon juice, Dijon mustard, shallot, garlic, 1/2 tsp. salt, and a pinch of pepper in a small bowl. Stir to blend; set aside to let flavors meld. Mix the thinly sliced kale and shredded Brussels sprouts in a large bowl.

1. Slowly whisk remaining olive oil in cup into lemon-juice mixture. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper. Add the dressing, cheese and almonds to the Brussels sprouts and kale mixture and toss to coat. Season lightly with salt and pepper and serve.

Broccoli Pesto

By Debra Kam.  HUGE BKF supporter at Portsmouth Farmer’s Market of author of food blog Diary of a Tomato

4 cloves garlic
6 cups broccoli, florets and peeled stems, chopped and blanched
2 cups fresh basil leaves
2/3 cup pine nuts, toasted
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup good olive oil
2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

- Place garlic cloves in a food processor and pulse until chopped. Add broccoli, basil, pine nuts, lemon juice, sea salt and olive oil, and pulse until finely chopped. Add cheese at end, and pulse to mix. Adjust seasoning.
- Pack into freezer containers, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Makes 6 half-pint jars.

CSA Week #17

Week 17

Oct.1 and 2

1 bunch carrots

1 bunch radish

 arugula

2 lbs. sweet potatoes

1 lb. red onions

1 bunch parsley

cabbage or broccoli

sweet peppers

garlic

The times, they sure are a changin’!  Fall has fallen and it is all about out with the old, in with the new and exciting these days as we have clearly made the shift from from end of summer cruise control mode to autumn action.  BKF is in major transition, keeping us in motion and on our tippy, tippy farm toes.

Last week was major!  We bid a fond farewell the well to our beloved tomatoes.  After 10 rock solid wee ks of harvesting and enjoying them, the entire crazy greenhouse packed full of plants that were still reaching towards the sky and almost grazing the ceiling, was dismantled.  This being the first season that we grew our tomatoes under cover, we are pleased to mark the experience up as a major success!  With the intense mid-season rains, tomatoes grown outside did not fair very well, so our consistent and tasty fruit was certainly a testament to growing them as we did this season.  Summer bounty out, dare I say, WINTER, (yuck, gross!) bounty in!  With the tomatoes pulled, the big greenhouse is now an open canvas for the next experiment in season extension at BKF, winter greens!  By the end of the week, kale, collards, arugula and salad mix will fill the space to be sold at indoor farmer’s market this winter.  Who knows, if all goes well, perhaps an all greens BKF Winter CSA is on the horizon for 2014!

Something else that is new, exciting and finally up and out of the ground, a crop that has never, ever been grown on BKF ground and one that yours truly has never, ever grown after years of toiling on farms from Maine to Cali to India and beyond, the ever powerful, the ever fabulous, the ever beautiful, delicious and general happiness inducing sweet, sweet, sweet potato!!!!!  We had no idea what we were in for when we started to harvest these babies last week, but as I am incredibly happy to report that we have a bumper, bumping yield!  The soil stayed warm enough, the field mice went else where and those little, whacky looking plants that came in a box from Tennessee way back in June proved to be major survivors and glorious producers!  After the let down of the winter squash, pulling the sweet potatoes out of the ground and filling bucket after overflowing bucket, was a major victory for the farm.  Beginners’s Luck? Hey, we’ll take it!  Nothin’ says styling and profiling this fall like enjoying a fresh, roasted sweet potato in your fave cable knit sweater!  Lookin’ good, y’all!  Here’s to ya!

Not only did we say good bye to the tomatoes, but rockstar/wild card apprentice, Carly, packed up her sweatpants and knee socks and hit the road back to D.C. last week.  A volunteer who was supposed to stay for two weeks, but meshed so superbly with the crew and the vibe of the farm, our girl stuck around for the majority of the the season and was second to none in salad mix harvesting, pig documenting and allergenic awareness.  She is already missed at farm lunch!

Embracing change is the BKF thing these days, after 4 seasons of delivering to Portland’s Fort Allen Park, the park is officially closed for renovations and the pick-up has shifted to the first parking lot heading down to the boat launch on the Eastern Prom.  Portland Crew make it happen, sink your teeth in the theme of seasonal transition and make that change!  Need more info?  Be in touch!

Even with all these changes, shifts and inevitable evolutions, we still have our awesome base of bounty, beauty and community connections! 

Much love and savor this extra-special, sparkling October sunshine!

Baked Sweet Potato Latkes - www.organicgardening.com
2 pounds grated sweet potatoes
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1. Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Coat two baking sheets with cooking spray.
   2. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients. Drop by quarter-cupfuls onto the baking sheets. Flatten with a spatula.
   3. Bake for 25 minutes. Flip and bake for an additional 10 minutes.

Roasted Watermelon Radish

www.yummly.com

1 pound watermelon radishes, trimmed

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided 

1 teaspoon coarse sea salt

Preheat oven to 375°. Cut radishes into wedges. Mix with 2 tbsp. oil and put in a 2-qt. baking dish. Roast radishes, stirring occasionally, until fork tender, about 1 hour. Drizzle with remaining 1 tbsp. oil and sprinkle with sea salt.

Sweet Potato Fries with Garlic and Herbs

www.epicurious.com

Nonstick vegetable oil spray

1 1/2 pounds red-skinned sweet potatoes peeled, cut into 1/2-inch-wide slices

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried

1 garlic clove, minced

Preheat oven to 500°F. Spray large baking sheet with vegetable oil spray. Toss sweet potatoes with oil in large bowl. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Spread sweet potatoes in single layer on prepared baking sheet. Bake until sweet potatoes are tender and golden brown, turning occasionally, about 30 minutes. Transfer sweet potatoes to platter.

Mix parsley, thyme and garlic in small bowl. Sprinkle over sweet potatoes.

CSA Week #16

Week 16

Sept. 24 and 25

1 bunch greens

1 bunch beets

1 bunch watermelon radish

1 pound onions

salad mix

broccoli

sweet peppers

hot peppers

garlic

tomatoes - last of the season!

butternut squash from Alma Farm

Porter, Maine

BKF Announcements, Info, Classifieds and Connected Connections!

Welcome Everett Comer Stabler!  Beautiful Baby Boy to long time CSA members and major veggie enthusiasts Hank and Becca Stabler of Portland!  The stork dropped our little Everett off on September 8th, just in time for his parents first wedding anniversary.  Yay and hurray!  So much to celebrate these days! Another Kettle mouth to fed!  

Exciting News!  This week’s Butternut Squash is brought to you by Alma Farm of Porter, Maine.  Unfortunately, yet again, the Kettle has had a real challenging time growing any sort of winter squash this season.  Picture flooded field, water logged plants, bug infestation and all sorts of rot, a generally sad situation all the way around.  We sadly accepted it, chalked the winter squash field up as a failure, hung our heads and threw some nasty, squished pumpkins to the pigs, which they loved.  Then just as the squash morning period was over, as wonderful luck would have it, I got wind from Geof Hancock, a farmer buddy and owner of Alma Farm with wife Gina, that they were absolutely swimming in literal tons of butternut squash.  They had a crazy bumper crop that yielded way too much for them to move in their typical outlets.  A perfect match for your farms was made and we fostered a really smooth collaboration to share their food and abundance and fill in a hole in our farm’s fall time harvest.  Check out www.almafarm.com to learn more about Geof and Gina’s impressive and inspiring operation.  It makes me so happy to join forces with friends to feed other friends like you, revealing that there is always more then enough to go around and sharing is the absolute best.

Donate your love seat/small couch or comfy chair to the Black Kettle Farm Yurt!

The temps are dropping and it’s time to gather ‘round the newly installed wood burning stove in the Kettle crew’s yurt.  We will come and pick up that piece of furniture that is no longer of use to you and it will live on in glory at the farm!  Donate a love seat and you will get major creds and praise AND you just might be able to poach from the trade table for the rest of the season...just sayin’.

So it has been four (16 weeks, that’s FOUR, right?) months of seeing you all every week at CSA veggie pick-ups.  That tomato fueled spring in your step, that kale based sparkle in your eye, that carrot generated sense of wisdom and that peppery air of spirit and fabulousness are just too much to let go unnoticed!  As we rock on in to full on fall, it is high time to give thanks and deeply acknowledge the gorgeous people, the veggie eaters and the amazing farm supporters of the BKF CSA!  This connection is not missed, it has only grown stronger and we have been nailing it all season!  We are a unit, a posse and a crew  of well over a 100 households and souls who, even with our diverse and different lives, vibrate on the same frequency because we all eat from the same source, filling our bellies, cells and molecules with all that the Kettle provides!  Here’s to our veg-tastic interconnections!  Hoard your food!  We’ve got 3 weeks left!

Kale Salad with Quick-Pickled Watermelon Radish 

www.thekitchn.com

1/2 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
Kosher salt
1 (6-ounce) watermelon radish (can substitute regular radishes)
1 (8-ounce) bunch kale
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon toasted pumpkin seed oil
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds, toasted

In a medium bowl, combine vinegar, sugar, and 1 teaspoon salt. Thinly slice the radish using a mandoline or chef's knife, add to the bowl, and stir to combine, making sure the slices are well coated. Let stand at least 30 minutes or refrigerate up to a day before serving.

Wash the kale and pat off excess water. If the center stems are tender enough to eat, simply trim the bottom inch or two. If the center stems are thick or tough, cut or tear them out and discard or save for another dish. Slice the leaves crosswise into 1/4-inch-wide ribbons.

In a large bowl, combine olive oil, pumpkin seed oil, lemon juice, thyme, a generous grind of black pepper, and a little salt. Add the kale and use your hands to massage the dressing into the leaves until they soften and wilt.

Drain the radishes. Toss with the kale - OR - arrange the slices on individual plates and place the kale on top. Garnish with pumpkin seeds and serve.

Kale Salad with Butternut Squash and Almonds

Bon Appetit

8 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 small onion, minced

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 cups 1/2-inch cubed butternut squash

1 bunch kale, stems removed, cut into 1/2-inch wide ribbons (about 5 cups)

3/4 cup whole almonds, toasted, coarsely chopped

Parmesan (for shaving)

1. Preheat oven to 425°. Line a baking sheet with foil. Whisk 5 Tbsp. oil, vinegar, onion, and Dijon mustard in a small bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside. Combine squash and 2 Tbsp. oil in a medium bowl and toss to combine; season with salt and pepper. Transfer squash to prepared baking sheet and roast, turning occasionally, until squash is tender and lightly golden, about 20 minutes. Let cool slightly. 
2. Meanwhile, heat remaining 1 Tbsp. oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add kale and cook, tossing frequently, until bright green and slightly wilted, 1–2 minutes. Remove from heat; add 3–4 Tbsp. dressing and toss to coat. Transfer kale to a baking sheet and cool slightly, about 5 minutes.
3. Add reserved squash and almonds to kale; toss well and season with pepper. Divide among bowls; drizzle with more dressing, if desired. Using a vegetable peeler, shave Parmesan over.

CSA Week #15

Week 15

Sept. 17 and 18

2 bunches greens

1 bunch carrots

1 bunch turnips

1 pound onions

cabbage

sweet peppers

eggplant

tomatoes

garlic

The farm is in full blown technicolor right now.  Every thing is perfect, crisp and striking, as though all objects are outlined and are operating in another dimension.   No superficial effect or feature could ever possibly simulate the brilliance of the natural colors, from the blue, blue clear sky, to the dark green kale, to the white tops of the turnips peeking out of the ground, to the rainbow ribs of the chard.  Then there’s the leaves that rustle ever so, the warmth of the sun that never gets as high as it used to, and the rich quality that the soil has taken on since those few days of soaking rain to complete this breath taking full body sensory experience that currently is the farm. 

These colors, this glorious air, all make perfect sense as we rock on into week #15 of the CSA, major elements are colliding.  The full moon is about to take over the night sky, the Autumnal Equinox, the first day of official fall and the International Day of Peace, a moment that is highly celebrated at Black Kettle Farm, take place this weekend.  Elements are heightened, the pigs romp at dusk in affirmation and the cats chow mice and generally regulate in celebration of the shift of the season.  We’ve had a legit frost, and after an epic run, the cherry tomatoes have been deemed done for, the eggplant is not far behind.

At this point in the season, all our hard work hand weeding and toiling with the heel hoe has paid off, we live in a gorgeous land free of weeds and full of vivacious food.  All we’ve got is what is left in the field.  There is no more planting or seeding.  The frost hit us last night must hold off a bit longer, the soil that nurtures and supports the plants must continue to give just a tad bit more, the deer that no doubt gaze at this glorious oasis need to just keep on foraging in the forest for a few more weeks.  The once completely overflowing field is slowly, but constantly starting to transform, once crops are done, eaten and shared, the spent plants go right back to the earth.  Every week the farm gets more tidy as we chip away at the food out in the field, and after months of months of seeding, planting, weeding, weeding, weeding, beating off bugs, either loathing rain or praying for it, now all we do is harvest, bring it all in and make sure that every last scrap is eaten, savored, enjoyed and hoarded because what is out there now is all we got.  Truth.  

Good thing the sun shines down on the broccoli,  good thing that the carrots only get sweeter as the temperatures drop, good thing that we’ve got hundred and hundreds of pounds of onions and garlic cleaned, bagged and stored in the barn, good thing that we still have the sweet potatoes to harvest and good thing that the little arugula is pumped up and going strong.  Fear not dear friends, we’ll make it.

Blessings for a gorgeous and profound full moon!  

Much love for a deep and powerful International Day of Peace on Saturday!  Happy Fall Equinox and a beautiful, crispy kick-off to Autumn on Sunday!

Celebrate Organic Farming and check out the Common Ground Fair this weekend in Unity. Visit www.mofga.org for more info.  Not to be missed!

VEGETABLE MASAMBA  - The Kripalu Cookbook

2 TBS unsalted butter

1 cup diced onions (red or yellow)

1 cup diced sweet pepperPinch ground nutmeg

1/2 cup diced fresh tomatoes 

Pinch ground cinnamon Pinch ground cloves

Pinch ground paprika1 tps ground corianderPinch black pepper3/4 tps ground cumin1/2 tps saltPinch ground nutmeg2/3 cup unsalted peanuts9 cups washed, dried, and

chopped fresh kale (10-12 ounces of kale)

In a large skillet, melt the butter and sauté the onions for 3-5 minutes or until translucent. Add peppers and saute for 3 minutes or until they are soft.  Stir in the next seven ingredients and sauté for 1 minute. Add the kale, stirring to coat thoroughly with the spices. Add the salt and fold into the mixture.

Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, covered, for 15 minutes, stirring every 3-4 minutes. Turn off heat. Add the tomatoes and peanuts, cover, and let stand for 5 minutes before serving. Preparation time: 30 minutes Serves 4

BKF Stuffed Bell Peppers.......From the Kettle Test Kitchen

Veggies: Sweet Peppers, Onions, Garlic, Greens

Additions: Rice, Quinoa, Ground Beef/Pork/Turkey, Cooked Beans (Chick Pea or Black Beans)

In a large skillet, heat olive oil, add diced onions and garlic and saute until soft.  Add chopped sweet pepper of any variety.  Let this cook at a medium heat.  

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.  Select big and beautiful Bell Peppers of any color. Cut of the stem top and remove the inner seeds.

Chop any greens, like Kale, Collards or Chard and add to the veggie mix.  Saute until the greens wilt.  Add salt and black pepper, red pepper flakes or cumin.

Mix the veggies with any of the aforementioned additions, like rice, meat, beans or even a bit of bread crumbs.  Scoop veggie mixture into Bell Peppers.  Cover with tin foil (or don’t) and BAKE for at least 30 minutes, or until the bell peppers are soft and the flavors combine.  So delicious!  If you do cheese, add a little feta or shredded cheddar.  

Grated Carrot, Apple and Turnip Salad - www.justvegetablerecipes.com

2/3 cup carrot, grated

2/3 cup apple, grated (peel is optional)

2/3 cup raw turnip, peeled and grated

Dressing:2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice1 tablespoon olive oil1 teaspoon honey or agave (optional)

Several full lettuce leaves

Salt and pepper to taste

• Combine grated carrot, apple, and turnip in a medium-sized bowl.
• Mix dressing ingredients well, or use your own favorite salad dressing.
• Drizzle bowl contents with enough dressing to lightly coat, and chill.

CSA Newsletter #14

Week #14

September 10 and 11

2 bunches greens

1 bunch parsley

salad mix

1 pound potatoes

1 pound onions

sweet peppers

hot peppers

tomatoes

garlic

In regards to weather, it is pretty to safe to say that this season has been all about the extremes.  It was extremely dry in June, into extremely wet and hot and gross in July, to extremely gorgeous in absolutely every way in August, to extremely whacky and all over the place in ol’ September.  We’ve already had some legitimately frosty mornings, where it is necessary to reactivate the hands in order to function and harvest and bunch things and we’ve had some real humid, thick air kind of episodes, when we start to feel all set with the whole summer and sweating and being fried by the sun thing.  Who knows what the next stretch will hold, but as we roll into fall, we feel extremely blessed for all the food that has come out of the ground, with all the interesting weather twists and turns, resulting in veggie successes, bounty and wonderful goodness, alongside the inevitable misfires, snafus and humbling moments.  

Farmer weather obsession need to over share met, let’s move on to how extremely wonderful it was to host the BKF CSA Appreciation and Friends of the Farm Veggie Pot Luck last Sunday!  Beautiful blue sky, crispy clean air, a breeze on the Kettle bluffs and a great mix of folks.  There were representatives from so many aspects of the farm, from local members, to Portland buddies, to newbie members from the Kennebunk delivery, to one of our favorite chefs, to friends from the Portsmouth farmer’s market and even a former employee.  The extended Kettle family is truly an amazing bunch.  I rush around this farm all the time just seeing weeds and work to be done, things that could be better, but when the good people of the CSA and beyond come to the farm, kick back, breath the beautiful clean air, gaze at the actual kale that they eat, see what we mean by our tomato jungle, or gawk at the freaky pigs, it just straight up warms the farmer heart of mine.  The afternoon of celebration allows me to stop making mental lists and allows me to appreciate the Kettle for it’s beauty and unique, fun spirit and connect with the deeply quality people that orbit this place and energetically contribute to the farm. 

As the farm evolves, the annual party evolves, this year we incorporated a farm photo booth where people really let their freak flag’s fly, posing on the farm’s classic red tractor, the Cub, and finding the prop that best expressed their identity, be it a skate boarding helmet, a gigantic string of pearls, or a jump suit.  The competition was high as party goers also tried their hand at being a Black Kettle farmer by packing the perfect CSA box and guessing the weights of veggies from our harvests, like salad mix, onions and cherry tomatoes.  Although we are all winners at Black Kettle Farm, there were some that were more then others, scoring fabulous prizes like BKF merchandise and garlic to store for the winter.  Lots of good veggie pot luck items were shared and  plaid heavy fall fashions were represented.  As the sun went down, the temps lowered and the remainder of the party people head to the meadow for a yurt side fire and star gazing.  Farm Mom that I am, I did a lot of ssshhhhhhuushing and was pretty much the first one to bed, these things happen, once I was cool.  An extremely successful and fun celebration it was!  Thanks to all those that made it out to the farm, YOUR farm!!!!  Shout it loud and proud!  Hurray for CSA!

.....it’s time to panic, we have 5 weeks left of the season!  If you don’t eat your kale, freeze it!  Boil water, chop kale, submerge in said water for 30 seconds, run under cold water, squeeze out excess, put in plastic bag, freeze, enjoy in February when you are sad.

Potato Hash with Bell Peppers and Onions

www.thecomfortofcooking.com

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 Tbsp. unsalted butter

1 pound potatoes, peeled and cut into ½” cubes

1 onion, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

2 tsp. fresh parsley, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

Salt and pepper, to taste

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oil and butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add potatoes, toss to coat with oil, and place a lid on the pan. Allow the potatoes to cook covered for 10 minutes.

Remove the lid and increase the heat to medium high. Add onion and bell pepper. Cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes and vegetables turn golden brown.

Add the parsley and garlic; cook for 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with Parmesan and serve immediately.

Spicy Garlic Kale With Sauteed Peppers

www.food.com

2 bunches kale

5 tablespoons olive oil

2 onions, diced

5 garlic cloves, minced (or extruded through garlic press)

2-3 peppers, cut into short strips

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

salt

white pepper

Wash kale. Pull greens away from the stalks, discarding stalks. Shred by hand into small pieces.

Place kale in steamer basket, and steam until tender (approximately 10 minutes). Remove immediately from heat.

Heat olive oil in heavy pan over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add onions. Saute until onions are translucent. Add garlic and red pepper flakes, saute for 1-2 more minutes. Add pepper slices, and saute until tender (approximately 4-5 minutes). Remove from heat.

Add kale to pan, and toss ingredients together thoroughly. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot or room temperature.